Compression roll



NW1. 2%, W38, E, CANNITY COMPRESSION ROLL Filed Oct. 18, 1935 4 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIVIPRESSION ROLL Application October 18, 1935, Serial No. 45,623

4 Claims.

This invention relates to compression rolls and has particular application to the compression rolls used in the art of cloth finishing in the process of fulling and washing the cloth. In this process, as in many other applications where the invention is useful, it is necessary or desirable to mount one roll of an opposed pair, or more than one roll of a series, in yielding relation to the opposing roll or rolls to prevent exertion of excessive pressure as varying thicknesses of the material being compressed pass between them. As it is usually undesirable to make the weight of the yieldingly mounted roll or rolls sufficient to create the desired pressure, resort has commonly been had to the use of springs to load the yieldably mounted roll. Any desired degree of pressure has thus been obtainable, together with a satisfactory degree of limitation of the maximum pressure resulting from reasonable variations in thickness of the material compressed.

But in all prior types of spring loading devices known to me the inherent tendency of the springs to become fatigued in the course of their life has made it diificult to duplicate the degree of pressure exerted by the opposed rolls after the lapse of varying intervals of time with the degree of exactness required in the fulling of cloth and in other uses where the amount of pressure used is a critical factor. Thus, calibration of the springs themselves, after the manner of the wellknown spring balance or otherwise, affords only a rough and general idea of the relative pressure exerted by the rolls, and has been very little used in fulling mills because of the variations which develop in the springs through fatigue and other causes. Additionally, the yieldingly mounted roll has to be loaded at both ends, while it is difficult to match the two springs thus used for each roll and to mount them so that they would start under equal compression. Further, the mechanisms for loading the springs have been slow and cumbersome to operate because of the relative magnitude of the pressure necessary to be applied by the yeilding roll, ordinarily ranging around one thousand 1000) pounds in a fulling mill, and because these pressures had to be applied through manual eflort and therefore through mechanism which gave powerful and thus slow-acting mechanical advantage to the operator. .Because of the mechanical gearingdown thus necessitated, the operation of lifting the movable roll to get the cloth in or to straighten it out was very laborious, or else very strenuous when resort was had to the use of a crowbar or other crude means to lift the roll momentarily in order to save time.

With the aim of providing means whereby pressure can be easily and quickly applied to the yieldingly mounted roll or rolls of an opposed pair or plurality of rolls, and whereby the degree of pressure can be accurately indicated and duplicated as desired, and also whereby the yielding roll or rolls can be quickly and easily lifted, the invention provides a piston movable in a cylinder in response to fluid pressure, the piston being connected either directly or through intermediate mechanical devices with the respective ends of the shaft of the yieldingly mounted roll and thus acting to press the opposed rolls together. Additionally, the invention contemplates moving the piston reversely in the cylinder under fluid pressure to separate the opposed rolls. The pressure of the fluid upon the piston, visually indicated by a standard pressure gauge, is used to indicate accurately and to duplicate the degree of pressure created between the opposing rolls.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of one side of a fulling mill, showing the pair of opposed rolls therein with the pressure devices of the invention applied to the rolls.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of like portions of a fulling mill, showing the parts of Fig. l duplicated at opposite ends of the shaft of a yieldingly mounted roll, certain parts being omitted for clarity.

In the drawing, only so much of the mechanism of a standard type of fulling mill is shown as is necessary for an understanding of the invention. The metal frame of one side of the fulling mill is indicated fragmentarily at l, the planking of the wooden enclosure being indicated at 3. The yieldingly mounted top roll 5 on its drive shaft 1 is mounted as usual so that shaft 1 extends out through the vertical slot 8 in each end of the frame and enclosure with capacity for bodily movement of the roll toward and from its opposing roll 9, the latter being mounted on its drive shaft I l in fixed position in the machine in bearings l3 secured in suitable manner to the side frame I at each side of the machine. The means for driving the two rolls in unison in opposite directions has been omitted for clarity, and may comprise any usual or preferred mechanism.

In accordance with the invention, the pressure is applied to the top roll 5 by journalling its shaft 1 at each end of the roll in a bearing I5 formed in a lever I! that is mounted on a fulcrum comprising a stud l9 fixed in a stand 2| applied to the frame I by bolts 23, the lever being held on by a collar 25 and 'setscrew.

The other end of the lever is connected, by a pin 21 and retaining screw 29 in the hub of the lever, with the forked upper end ii of a tubular spring case 33, in which is confined an expanding coil spring 35 seated on the bottom of the case and having its upper end against a collar 31 fixed on the upper extremity of a rod 39 extending down through the spring and out through the bottom of the spring case 33. The spring case is slotted throughout a portion of its length as indicated at 4|, and a pointer 43 fixed in an ear extending laterally from the collar 31 and out through this slot moves along the graduations of a scale laid out along the spring case 33 adjacent the slot.

The lower end of the rod 39 is fixed by nut in a piston 41 working in a cylinder 49, the piston being provided with packings 5|, 53, facing in opposite directions so that the piston may be driven either way by fluid pressure. The cylinder is closed at its top end and provided with a packing gland 55 for the passage of the rod 39, and at its bottom end has the applied head 51. Conduits 59, 6|, serve both to admit fluid alternately to the cylinder at opposite faces of the piston and to permit escape of the fluid from either end of the cylinder when fiuid under pressure is admitted to the other end of the cylinder, under control of a four-way valve 63 which is also connected by supply pipe 65 with a suitable source of fluid under pressure and by waste pipe 61 with a suitable exhaust for the fluid discharged from the cylinder. It is to be understood that branches of inlet pipes 59, 6|, extend across the machine and into the cylinder of the duplicate pressure device operating on the opposite end of the shaft 1 of top roll 5.

The fluid used to operate the piston preferably is water under average water main pressure.

Where very low water pressure prevails, steam or compressed air may of course be used, or a closed circuit may be employed using oil or water and having supply pipe 65 connected with return pipe 61 through a small jack or pump.

In operation, movement of the valve-handle 69 in one direction into its dotted line position connects the supply pipe with pipe 6| leading to the bottom of the cylinders 49, admitting fluid beneath the piston to force the latter and the piston rod 39 upward. the valve at the same time connecting pipe 59 with waste pipe 61. This causes the collar 31 or the lateral ear thereon to press upwardly against a stop H extending across the top of the indicator slot 4| in the spring case 33, thereby lifting the spring case and the end of lever I! at each side of the machine and thus raising the top roll 5 to separate it from its opposing roll 9 and permit entry of the cloth, the

lifting being accomplished without effort or delay.

'I'hereupo'n. the valve-handle 69 is moved reversely into the other dotted line position, which admits fluid under pressure into conduit 59, forcing the piston down and thus compressing spring 35 which exerts effort against the spring case 33 causing it to pull down on lever I1 and thereby to force roll 5 toward its companion roll 9, this setting of the valve simultaneously connecting conduit 6| with waste pipe 61.

A pressure gauge 13 is connected by pipe 15 with conduit 59 so as to register the pressure imposed on the top side of the piston. In this location, the reading of the pressure gauge 13 is always proportionate to the degree of pressure exerted by the top roll 5 against the bottom roll 9 or the included material, irrespective of any fatigue or change in the nature of the springs 5 or of any discrepancy between the relative strength of the two springs, and being immediately under the eye of the operator as he manipulates the valve-handle 69 enables him to control simply, instantly, and accurately at all times the pressure delivered upon the goods, and to do so with a minimum of physical effort. Movement of the valve-handle into the solid line vertical position closes the valve and holds the applied fluid pressure constant. The spring 35 aiiords a yielding means of leveling out the fluctuations of pressure incident to reasonable variations in the thickness of the material passing between the rolls, where an inelastic pressure medium such as water or oil is used. The pointer 43 serves as a rough check indicating to the operator that the fluid Pressure is developing the intended pressure on the goods and that the parts are working properly.

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular forms shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but

What I do claim is:-

1. In a fulling mill, in combination, a roll mounted in fixed position, spaced levers, a second roll vertically above the first roll, iournalled at each end in such levers for bodily movement toward and from'the first roll and gravitating downward toward such first roll, spring means connected to each lever, cylinders, fluid-operated pistons working in each cylinder, and connecting rods respectively attached at one end to each piston and at the other end acting wholly through the spring to apply yielding pressure to each lever forcing the second roll downwardly I toward the first roll when the piston and rod move in one direction, and acting directly on the lever in positive manner to lift the second roll against the force of gravity away from the first when the piston and rod move in the opposite direction.

2. In combination, oppos'ed rolls, one thereof rotatably mounted in fixed position, spaced levers in which the other roll is rotatabiy mounted to rest its weight on the fixed roll and with capacity for movement toward and from the latter roll, spring means in pivotal connection with-at least one of such levers, a support, a fluid-pressure cylinder fixed on such support, a piston'worki'ng in such cylinder and impelled in both directions therein. and a connecting rod similarly impelled by the piston, acting through the spring means to load the levers and thus urge the movable roll in the direction of its gravitating movement yieldingly against the other roll, and also acting positively on the levers and without intervention of the spring to lift the movable roll against gravity away from the other roll.

3. Control means for compressing rolls having in combination opposed rolls one thereof mounted in fixed position, spaced levers intermediate the length of which the other roll is rotatably mounted to rest by gravity upon the first roll, fulcra for the levers, cylinders, pistons in such cylinders, means admitting an incompressible fluid under pressure to the cylinders optionally at either side of the pistons, connecting rods acting on the levers to move them in two directions at points more remote from their respective fulcra than the points of mounting of the roll thereon, and spring means yieldingly transmitting the pressure of the fluid from the pistons and connecting rods to the levers in a direction to force the lever-mounted roll against the other roll, the connecting rods acting positively on the levers when such rods move the levers in the other direction to lift the levermounted roll against gravity away from the other roll.

4. In combination, opposed rolls, one thereof resting on and wholly sustained by the other, bearings in connection with the ends of the firstnamed roll, hydraulic cylinders, pistons therein, means delivering water under pressure optionally to either side of each piston, spring means in operative connection with the bearings, and connecting rods delivering the thrust of the water against the pistons to the bearings through the spring means and thus yieldingly when the thrust is directed to pull down on the top roll, but delivering the thrust positively to the bearings without intervention of the spring means when directed to lift the top roll.

ERNEST CANNI'I'Y. 

